1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a photoelectric conversion layer. Especially, it is very effective when applied to hydrogen-containing amorphous semiconductor layers for use in an image pickup tube, a solid-state imaging device, a photosensor, an electrophotographic plate, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The photoelectric conversion layer as stated above needs to be favorable in the range of photo-generated carriers, i.e., the .mu..tau. product of carriers and high in resistivity, and to be free from defects etc.
As photoelectric conversion layers, there have heretofore been well known hydrogen-containing amorphous Si layers. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,686 discloses an image pickup device which employs such hydrogen-containing amorphous silicon layer. The amorphous Si layer is doped with hydrogen, and is produced with a plasma state by the glow discharge decomposition of SiH.sub.4 or Si.sub.2 H.sub.6, the reactive sputtering in a hydrogen atmosphere, or the like.